I cannot tell you much about it as I just started to take it.
did everyone have breathing tests and xrays before starting it?
I did not... but I kinda wish I had. I prefer when they run test before and after if needed than pointing at you and tell you you are having a great imagination and hallucinating sides effects. There is a lot related to lung and mtx so better have a point of comparison.
I only had 2 injections so far. For me, its been ok. I already had more serious chemo (cyclosphosphamide) back in the day and I notice pretty much the same "side effects": my nose burn for 2 days when I get it... weird but well, not too terrible to deal with.
I do get exhausted until now... I have been told it should get better, and I hope it does. Other than that I have not been able to correlate side effects. I seem to bruise more easily but nothing dramatic. Blood test will speak for themselves tomorrow.
I don't know if the hair thing is suppose to happen right away, but the pharmacist told me it was rare and that the folic acid prevents the general damage that could lead to hair lost. Mine are fine so far, I just have nightmares about it lol, but in reality, it is still fine.
One thing you need to try forcing yourself with is drinking a lot. Some on the injection day, the day before and the day after. I try to stick with that but I focuss on the day of the injection and the following. It minimize the toxicity on your kidney and your whole body on the overall. And, don't forget, the folic acid. Point is that the MTX is a folate inhibitor so when you take supplement, the mtx will bound to some of the supplement and minimize the destruction of healthy cells, reducing the side effects. So it is crucial to take it regularly but the day of your injection.
